Summer is only a month away and two new nationwide surveys have determined a growing number of Americans are ready to move past the Covid-19 pandemic and resume their annual summer vacation.
A survey of more than 2,000 Americans during the week of April 17-24 by Deloitte found four in 10 respondents plan to take at least one vacation this summer, a percentage similar to pre-pandemic summer travel of 2019.
While 75% of respondents said they would take pandemic health safety protocols into consideration, 55% said their longest trip will include a flight and 27% planned to visit a city on their vacation; 34% said they would be heading for the beach and 18% are planning to visit the great outdoors.
Nearly three-quarters of the respondents planning a summer vacation expect at least half of their traveling companions to be vaccinated when the time comes to pack their suitcases. For those not traveling, the primary reason for staying home is health concerns (41%), followed by financial considerations (30%).
Separately, a ValuePenguin.com survey of 2,192 Americans conducted April 8-15, found 53% of respondents saying they would definitely take at least one trip, with additional 32% saying they were considering it; only 15% said they are not traveling this summer, with 43% of that segment citing financial reasons and 41% blaming the pandemic for their decision.
The survey respondents plan to spend an average of roughly $2,400 on summer travel while taking an average of three trips. However, 27% predicted they would definitely incur debt as a result of their vacationing and another 20% felt they might run into debt.
As for the preferred vacations, 47% of respondents said they were not ready to go on a cruise, 44% were not willing to take a flight overseas and 29% were still hesitant to get into an airplane.
